"The authors, political scientists Jacob Hacker of Yale and Paul Pierson of the University of California, Berkeley, argue persuasively that the economic struggles of the middle and working classes in the U.S. since the late-1970s were not primarily the result of globalization and technological changes but rather a long series of policy changes in government that overwhelmingly favored the very rich.

Those changes were the result of increasingly sophisticated, well-financed and well-organized efforts by the corporate and financial sectors to tilt government policies in their favor, and thus in favor of the very wealthy. From tax laws to deregulation to corporate governance to safety net issues, government action was deliberately shaped to allow those who were already very wealthy to amass an ever increasing share of the nation’s economic benefits. /.../

The answer becomes clearer when one recognizes, as the book stresses, that politics is largely about organized combat. It’s a form of warfare. 'It’s a contest,' said Professor Pierson, 'between those who are organized, who can really monitor what government is doing in a very complicated world and bring pressure effectively to bear on politicians. Voters in that kind of system are at a disadvantage when there aren’t reliable, organized groups representing them that have clout and can effectively communicate to them what is going on.'

The book describes an 'organizational revolution' that took place over the past three decades in which big business mobilized on an enormous scale to become much more active in Washington, cultivating politicians in both parties and fighting fiercely to achieve shared political goals. This occurred at the same time that organized labor, the most effective force fighting on behalf of the middle class and other working Americans, was caught in a devastating spiral of decline. "

"By broadening the tax base and lowering rates while simultaneously cutting programs that benefit the middle and working class, we can realize our long term dream of turning the US into a banana republic or Louis the XVI era France. Those lucky duckies at the lower end of the income spectrum need to support the aristocracy not be supported."

"We are entering territory which looks like the period before we even started fighting a ‘War on Poverty’ in the 1960s. It’s quite stunning. This is a terrible statement about the depths of the Great Recession but, even more, about the recovery, which has clearly left the poorest out completely."

"My new book, The Price of Civilization, describes why America needs a "mixed economy," one where a more effective federal government regulates business and invests alongside the business sector. In his review of my book, Congressman Paul Ryan, an avowed libertarian, describes my book as anti-American in its values. Ryan is wrong: my book describes how we can restore politics to the true mainstream of American values, rescuing democracy from the clutches of corporate power that Ryan champions in deeds if not in words."

"Despite rightwing hatred for him, US corporate profitability is at an all-time high under Mr Obama. Capital has never beaten labour to the same extent. Stocks, as measured by the S&P 500, are up 50 per cent since he took office. Using MSCI indices, US stocks have beaten the rest of the world by 14 per cent; the S&P has beaten the FTSE-Eurofirst 300 by 22 per cent; the dollar has risen 2 per cent against the euro. Judged by results, he has been hugely pro-market." (min fetning)

Uppdatering 3 juni 2012
"The
US is going to the polls in a zero-sum economy where the wealthiest
take almost all of whatever paltry growth is being generated. The
election is set to break all records, with a group of 30 or so
billionaires spending more on the polls than the rest of America
combined."
Edward Luce, "Americas unlikely class-war candidates", FT 3 juni